Competitive Eaters

[Carl Fredrik Ahl]

Hi,

I wonder how some competitive eaters, like Matt Stonie for example, can be so skinny even though they eat so much. I understand that their bodies can't process all the food they eat so they will have to go to the toilet, but shouldn't a lot of calories still be processed and stored in the body? Where does the limit go for how much calories can be used in the body and how much the body can't handle? I understand that this does not just have to do with how many calories is being consumed, but a lot of other factors like how big the stomach is. 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Carl Fredrik Ahl

[FreeWill]

1 hour ago, Carl Fredrik Ahl said:

Hi,

I wonder how some competitive eaters, like Matt Stonie for example, can be so skinny even though they eat so much. I understand that their bodies can't process all the food they eat so they will have to go to the toilet, but shouldn't a lot of calories still be processed and stored in the body? Where does the limit go for how much calories can be used in the body and how much the body can't handle? I understand that this does not just have to do with how many calories is being consumed, but a lot of other factors like how big the stomach is. 

I would relate it to some medical condition, mainly endocrine disorders like an elevated production of TSH(thyroid stimulating hormone) in the pituitary gland and so increased level och thyroxin (T4) and free triiodothyronine (fT3) in the bloodstream which will elevate every cell's rate of function.  It does not have to be pathological, a slight increase could be enough to produce the "symptoms" you described. 

Other conditions as malabsorption in the digestive system or enzyme production disturbances of the pancreas could be the reason, as well as parasite related problem (unlikely)  

Edited May 3, 2019 by FreeWill

[CharonY]

13 hours ago, FreeWill said:

I would relate it to some medical condition, mainly endocrine disorders like an elevated production of TSH(thyroid stimulating hormone) in the pituitary gland and so increased level och thyroxin (T4) and free triiodothyronine (fT3) in the bloodstream which will elevate every cell's rate of function.  It does not have to be pathological, a slight increase could be enough to produce the "symptoms" you described. 

Other conditions as malabsorption in the digestive system or enzyme production disturbances of the pancreas could be the reason, as well as parasite related problem (unlikely)  

There is no need for that and in fact, it is quite unlikely. Slightly elevated thryroid hormone levels do not increase baseline metabolism enough to make a significant difference. At levels where it does make a difference, you will experience rather nasty symptoms (elevated pulse, insomnia and so on) and doing anything competitive goes right out of the window. What those competitive eaters do is typically a combination of exercise and diet. After a competition they often resort to a extreme low calorie diet (water, protein, vitamins) in order to get back to a normal state. At the highest level there is a lot of similarity to bodybuilding (though stretching the stomach with fluid and fibers is an additional requirement).

[FreeWill]

14 minutes ago, CharonY said:

There is no need for that and in fact, it is quite unlikely. Slightly elevated thryroid hormone levels do not increase baseline metabolism enough to make a significant difference. At levels where it does make a difference, you will experience rather nasty symptoms (elevated pulse, insomnia and so on) and doing anything competitive goes right out of the window. What those competitive eaters do is typically a combination of exercise and diet. After a competition they often resort to a extreme low calorie diet (water, protein, vitamins) in order to get back to a normal state. At the highest level there is a lot of similarity to bodybuilding (though stretching the stomach with fluid and fibers is an additional requirement).

Yes, you might be right. It must be a kind of preparation program rather than a medical case.

Although hyperthyroidism would be the perfect disease for competitive eaters as it comes with a polyphagia while burning away all extra energy consumed.

I have been thinking about the medical condition because competitive eating is not a profession, and that stomach has to be extended all the time to be able to take in that huge amount of food which usually results in obesity, while in the OP it is a very skinny guy.  

[CharonY]

1 hour ago, FreeWill said:

Although hyperthyroidism would be the perfect disease for competitive eaters as it comes with a polyphagia while burning away all extra energy consumed.

Nope, you burn a lot of calories, but you also feel awful and in fact, especially after a prolonged time the patients often feel appetite loss (most likely connected to extreme fatigue). As a whole, the calorie burning aspect is not what is relevant for competitive eating. It is about how much you can cram into your stomach in a short amount of time. If you have hyperthyroidism you simply won't have the energy to compete in anything. Imagine the following:  you got a tremor,  tachycardia and palpitations just while your are sitting around. The fact that the muscles are feeling sore and you feel weak does not help, either.  You are too tired and cannot sleep. Just getting up is hard, going to work is almost impossible. Does that sound like someone able to compete anywhere?

Again the calorie intake plays almost no role in the competition itself and diet is the major aspect relevant to maintain shape. If your thyroid levels are high enough to burn sufficient above your regular level, you are too sick to compete.

 

[Carl Fredrik Ahl]

On 5/3/2019 at 10:12 PM, CharonY said:

There is no need for that and in fact, it is quite unlikely. Slightly elevated thryroid hormone levels do not increase baseline metabolism enough to make a significant difference. At levels where it does make a difference, you will experience rather nasty symptoms (elevated pulse, insomnia and so on) and doing anything competitive goes right out of the window. What those competitive eaters do is typically a combination of exercise and diet. After a competition they often resort to a extreme low calorie diet (water, protein, vitamins) in order to get back to a normal state. At the highest level there is a lot of similarity to bodybuilding (though stretching the stomach with fluid and fibers is an additional requirement).

You sad that the food goes right out the window and then you say that they will go on a extremely low calorie diet after the competition. Well if the food that they consume goes right out the window, why would they need to go on a low calorie diet, their bodies haven't absorbed the calories, right?

[Sensei]

IMHO silly challenge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_eating

"Training and preparation

Many professional competitive eaters undergo rigorous personal training in order to increase their stomach capacity and eating speed with various foods. Stomach elasticity is usually considered the key to eating success, and competitors commonly train by drinking large amounts of water over a short time to stretch out the stomach. Others combine the consumption of water with large quantities of low calorie foods such as vegetables or salads. Some eaters chew large amounts of gum in order to build jaw strength.[8]

For a marquee event like the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, some eaters, like current contest champion Joey Chestnut, will begin training several months before the event with personal time trials using the contest food.[9] Retired competitive eater Ed "Cookie" Jarvis trained by consuming entire heads of boiled cabbage followed by drinking up to two gallons of water every day for two weeks before a contest.[10] Due to the risks involved with training alone or without emergency medical supervision, the IFOCE actively discourages training of any sort.[11]"

 

[CharonY]

11 hours ago, Carl Fredrik Ahl said:

You sad that the food goes right out the window and then you say that they will go on a extremely low calorie diet after the competition. Well if the food that they consume goes right out the window, why would they need to go on a low calorie diet, their bodies haven't absorbed the calories, right?

Please re-read it. I said anything "competitive goes right out of the window". This is because folks that have a significant calorie burn due to hypo hyperthyroidism are and feel really sick.

[FreeWill]

1 hour ago, CharonY said:

This is because folks that have a significant calorie burn due to hypothyroidism are and feel really sick.

The significant calorie burn is a due to hyperthyroidism. 

In hypothyroidism the rate of metabolism drops because of the reduced amount of thyroid hormons produced.

Edited May 6, 2019 by FreeWill

[CharonY]

3 hours ago, FreeWill said:

The significant calorie burn is a due to hyperthyroidism. 

In hypothyroidism the rate of metabolism drops because of the reduced amount of thyroid hormons produced.

Yep that was a typo on my account, thanks. I have edited my post accordingly.

[Carl Fredrik Ahl]

15 hours ago, CharonY said:

Please re-read it. I said anything "competitive goes right out of the window". This is because folks that have a significant calorie burn due to hypo hyperthyroidism are and feel really sick.

Yeah okay. So Matt Stonie probably have hyperthyroidism then? 

13 hours ago, FreeWill said:

The significant calorie burn is a due to hyperthyroidism. 

In hypothyroidism the rate of metabolism drops because of the reduced amount of thyroid hormons produced.

So Matt Stonie probably have hyperthyroidism then?

21 hours ago, Sensei said:

IMHO silly challenge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_eating

"Training and preparation

Many professional competitive eaters undergo rigorous personal training in order to increase their stomach capacity and eating speed with various foods. Stomach elasticity is usually considered the key to eating success, and competitors commonly train by drinking large amounts of water over a short time to stretch out the stomach. Others combine the consumption of water with large quantities of low calorie foods such as vegetables or salads. Some eaters chew large amounts of gum in order to build jaw strength.[8]

For a marquee event like the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, some eaters, like current contest champion Joey Chestnut, will begin training several months before the event with personal time trials using the contest food.[9] Retired competitive eater Ed "Cookie" Jarvis trained by consuming entire heads of boiled cabbage followed by drinking up to two gallons of water every day for two weeks before a contest.[10] Due to the risks involved with training alone or without emergency medical supervision, the IFOCE actively discourages training of any sort.[11]"

 

Thanks for the answer. I already know that their stomach get stretched out, what I wonder is how some of them won't get fat when they consume a lot of calories like Matt Stonie for example.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Carl Fredrik Ahl

[CharonY]

6 hours ago, Carl Fredrik Ahl said:

Yeah okay. So Matt Stonie probably have hyperthyroidism then? 

So Matt Stonie probably have hyperthyroidism then?

Thanks for the answer. I already know that their stomach get stretched out, what I wonder is how some of them won't get fat when they consume a lot of calories like Matt Stonie for example.

I am not sure if you read my earlier post. They have a strongly regimented diet. If they had hyperthyroidism, they would be too sick to compete. It is work to stay lean, not a condition.

[FreeWill]

8 hours ago, Carl Fredrik Ahl said:

So Matt Stonie probably have hyperthyroidism then?

I agree with CharonY that he is thin due to the preparation, rather than a medical condition.

[Carl Fredrik Ahl]

18 hours ago, CharonY said:

I am not sure if you read my earlier post. They have a strongly regimented diet. If they had hyperthyroidism, they would be too sick to compete. It is work to stay lean, not a condition.

Yeah okay, so they can really stay skinny when eating a lot of calories if they keep a very low calorie diet when they're not competing? So all of the food they ate when they competed will be processed by the body.

On 5/6/2019 at 8:32 PM, FreeWill said:

The significant calorie burn is a due to hyperthyroidism. 

In hypothyroidism the rate of metabolism drops because of the reduced amount of thyroid hormons produced

How does the thyroid hormones boost calorie burn? 

[FreeWill]

19 minutes ago, Carl Fredrik Ahl said:

they can really stay skinny when eating a lot of calories if they keep a very low calorie diet when they're not competing? 

They do not eat a lot of calories during the preparation. They eat high volume (a cooked head of cabbage with ca 6l water) with low calories. That expands the stomach so they can take the one time high volume high calories during the competition. 

This can not really be good for the pancreas as it produces the enzymes based on the nutrients one is eating, so after such a preparation the competition is a shock for it.

I quess they have a solution for that as well.

 

[Carl Fredrik Ahl]

1 minute ago, FreeWill said:

They do not eat a lot of calories during the preparation. They eat high volume (a cooked head of cabbage with ca 6l water) with low calories. That expands the stomach so they can take the one time high volume high calories during the competition. 

This can not really be good for the pancreas as it produces the enzymes based on the nutrients one is eating, so after such a preparation the competition is a shock for it.

I quess they have a solution for that as well.

 

Yeah I know, I meant they eat a lot of calories when they compete sometimes. Matt Stonie for example.

[fresh]

will competitive eaters die early ? such as stomach cancer and pancreas cancer.

[iNow]

8 minutes ago, fresh said:

will competitive eaters die early ? such as stomach cancer and pancreas cancer.

Not enough information is available to say. Some will. Some won’t. Depends on their genes, other lifestyle behaviors, and related other things that remind us of some of the many ways we’re all different from one another.